A sweet, salty and always surprising new bakery
Là Lá Bakeshop offers an unusual take on Vietnamese treats
The Vietnamese word ngán roughly translates to “when the mouth is bored.” The menu at Toronto’s Là Lá Bakeshop is the opposite — a roller-coaster ride of textures and flavours designed to keep your taste buds entertained at every turn.
It all started when co-founders Brian Tran and Harry Pham, out of work during the pandemic, launched an online bakery marketed primarily to Vietnamese customers. Then, in late August, they opened a full-fledged storefront (346A Bloor St. W., at Spadina), to an outpouring of community support.
“It’s been a very humbling experience,” Tran says, recounting Là Lá’s hectic opening day. Though his five-member team baked “all that was humanly possible” in their small kitchen, they quickly sold out of everything they had.
Tran, who comes from a family of Vietnamese immigrants, arrived in Canada when he was three years old. Much of Là Lá’s menu puts a quirky spin on Vietnamese classics that have, over generations of cultural export, become increasingly familiar to Toronto foodies.
Take Là Lá’s banh mi croissant, which features the traditional fillings (pickled carrots and daikon, cold cuts, cucumber, cilantro and pâté), then elevates the sandwich by trading the usual baguette for the fluffy, fresh-baked pastry.
Also popular is Là Lá’s coconut sticky rice cake (topped with a layer of chiffon and drizzled with sweet and salty coconut sauce), the perfect marriage of popular components from Asian and Western desserts.
The metaphor of “East going West,” Tran explains, resonates deeply with Là Lá’s team, many of whom came to Canada from Vietnam more recently than he did. The name “Là Lá” (translation: “It’s a leaf!”) refers to the golden ginkgo in the bakery’s logo — a tree that originated in East Asia but found its way to North America, and can now be spotted all around Toronto. “Our story is very much a Toronto story,” Tran says.
Là Lá’s mission is to show Torontonians how diverse and interesting Vietnamese cuisine can be. Vietnamese baking is all about keeping the palate guessing, and Là Lá’s signatures will appeal to diners eager for something new and different.
Get messy with the lava salted-egg bun, made of fluffy Hokkaido milk bread, which overflows with gooey sauce when torn apart. Or try Là Lá’s bestselling pork floss cakes, filled with custard, wrapped in salty pork floss and decorated with salted-egg crumble. It’s a classic example of the popular sweet and salty Vietnamese flavour combinations that will make you wonder, as Tran puts it, “Am I eating a dessert or an appetizer?”
Though Vietnamese desserts aren’t as saccharine as Western ones, those with a sweet tooth might opt for Là Lá’s take on tiramisu (the bakery’s “gateway drug”), which substitutes chocolatey Vietnamese coffee for the classic espresso. Tran also recommends the durian mini cakes (sweet and sour custard slathered between pandan chiffon, brimming with the meat of the famously pungent fruit). “It’s a controversial fruit, but if you like durian, you’re gonna love this dessert,” he says.
The success of Là Lá’s grand opening was “bananas,” Tran says, and thanks to the support of Vietnamese customers, the initial wave of curiosity has yet to die down. The one-of-a-kind offerings have sold like hot cakes (literally) ever since — so get in line, call ahead and expect the unexpected.